Last month marked the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). World leaders gathered in Paris, France with the goal of working out an international agreement aimed at minimizing global warming and…
Different methodologies are available for conducting the structured reviews known as process hazards analyses (PHAs) for new processes. PHAs are often conducted or moderated by specialists, with participation by the design team, representatives of the facility owner, and experienced process…
As world leaders agree on the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, major milestones and new technologies point toward potential solutions Last month, delegates from 195 countries converged on Paris, France for the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21;…
An important part of ensuring the success of a HAZOP study is to understand the errors that can cause the team to lose focus Since its inception in the 1960s and its first official publication in 1977, the Hazard and…
While NFPA 652 creates a general set of requirements for mitigating explosion hazards, equipment providers improve offerings to assist with compliance The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA; Washington, D.C.; www.nfpa.prg) recently released the first edition of NFPA 652 Standard on…
Tighter enforcement requires up-to-date monitoring and control equipment With stricter emissions regulations on the horizon and with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www.epa.gov) actively enforcing ones, the chemical process industries (CPI) can not sit back and relax.…
Approaches to plant safety continue to evolve based on lessons learned, as well as new automation standards and technology In the chemical process industries (CPI), one incident can have a tremendous impact on the people in the plant, the communities…
Commonly used in the CPI, sulfuric acid requires many special precautions to ensure its safe handling and storage Sulfuric acid, sometimes called the “king of all chemicals,” is widely used in the chemical process industries (CPI) for the manufacture of…
This August, two milestone actions were taken to set standards for emissions control in the U.S. On August 3, U.S. President Obama and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy released the final Clean Power Plan — the first-ever…
Harnessing new technologies for best practices in pollution control could lead to a more ideal framework of policies and programs Fugitive emissions are managed in a variety of ways around the world, ranging from detailed prescriptive control to suggested guidance.…